UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CELEBRATES REGIONAL CAMPAIGN KICKOFF IN NEW YORK Thursday evening 200 University of Virginia alumni gathered at Rockefeller Center for the kickoff of the University's New York regional campaign at Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Suites. The New York appeal is part of the Campaign for the University of Virginia, a five-year, $750 million fund-raising effort that was launched in October. The campaign has already raised $450 million. Among the gifts announced at the black-tie dinner were a $1.5 million pledge from Victor Elmaleh, chairman of the board of World-Wide Holdings Corp. in New York, for the design and construction of an addition for the University's School of Architecture. A second gift of $750,000 came from Becton Dickinson and Company, a manufacturer of medical supplies, to establish an endowed professorship at the School of Medicine's International Health Care Worker Safety Center. A $5 million anonymous gift to advance teaching and research in environmental sciences was also announced. May 10, 1996 RELEASE ON RECEIPT ELMALEH GIFT OF $1.5 MILLION TO U.VA. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE FOR "SUSTAINABLE DESIGN" ADDITION CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 11 -- Victor Elmaleh, chairman of the board of World-Wide Holdings Corp. in New York, will provide $1.5 million for the design and construction of an addition for the University of Virginia's School of Architecture. Elmaleh is a 1942 graduate of the U.Va. architecture school and a member of its advisory board. The gift, which will cover half the cost of the project, was announced Thursday night at the kickoff of the University's New York regional campaign at Rockefeller Center. The New York appeal is part of the Campaign for the University of Virginia, a five-year, $750 million fund-raising effort that was launched in October. The campaign has since raised $450 million. One of the major facilities goals in the campaign, the architecture addition will be named in honor of Victor Elmaleh and his wife, former Broadway dancer Sono Osato. The structure is intended to be an exemplar of sustainable design, incorporating energy-saving measures, nontoxic materials derived from renewable resources and site work that protects the watershed and other aspects of the surrounding ecosystem. "The facilities made possible by Victor Elmaleh's generosity will go beyond bricks and mortar," said University President John T. Casteen III. "His gift will allow us to incorporate new approaches to design that protect the environment and conserve precious resources. We are grateful that Victor shares our vision of making this project a model of sustainability." The $1.5 million gift from Elmaleh includes an earlier commitment of $100,000 for the development of a master plan for the expansion of Campbell Hall, which has housed the School of Architecture since the early 1970s. The plan is being developed by Steven Holl, an award-winning New York architect whose work has been the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. His plan will take into account the school's projected curricular and facilities needs in the coming decades, including a proposed institute for sustainable design. "With this building, we intend to live through our theoretical agenda to demonstrate what can be done," said William A. McDonough, dean of the School of Architecture and one of the nation's leading exponents of sustainable design. "We're looking at how to make our building as energy-efficient as we can and as healthy and safe as we can, and at the same time meet a pressing need for additional studio space and faculty offices. Through this process, we will show our students how these safe and efficient techniques and materials can be designed into buildings in beautiful ways." A partner in major New York real estate developments, including Worldwide Plaza on the site of the original Madison Square Garden, Victor Elmaleh is a longtime supporter of the University. To commemorate the 250th birthday of U.Va.'s founder, Thomas Jefferson, Elmaleh commissioned an hour-long documentary titled "Mr. Jefferson and His University." The program was screened at alumni celebrations throughout the country in 1993. Elmaleh is also an accomplished artist whose abstract watercolors have been displayed at the Staempfli Gallery in New York and at the University's Bayly Art Museum. He recently donated a selection of his paintings to the University. "Victor has demonstrated his commitment to the University and to the School of Architecture in a multitude of ways," said Dean McDonough. "We are grateful to have such a loyal partner in our effort to prepare those who will shape the built and natural environments of the future." ### May 10, 1996 For more information, contact William A. McDonough, dean of the School of Architecture, at (804) 924-7019. RELEASE ON RECEIPT $750,000 GIFT FROM MEDICAL COMPANY ESTABLISHES ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP AT U.VA. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 11 -- Becton Dickinson and Company, a manufacturer of medical supplies and diagnostic systems based in Franklin Lakes, N.J., has pledged $750,000 to the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The gift, which will establish an endowed professorship that will support the director of the International Health Care Worker Safety Center, was announced Thursday night at the kickoff of the University's New York regional campaign at Rockefeller Center. The New York appeal is part of the Campaign for the University of Virginia, a five-year, $750 million fund-raising effort that was launched in October. The campaign has since raised $450 million. The Center, led by U.Va.'s Janine Jagger, has been a pioneer in research and prevention of occupationally transmitted bloodborne pathogens. "Becton Dickinson's support of this innovative area has been wonderful," said Dr. Robert M. Carey, dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine. "By creating this chair, they are acknowledging and rewarding the important work done by the center and Ms. Jagger. Becton Dickinson is also providing the means for the University of Virginia to continue to be a leading source of advances in health care worker safety." Jagger, who is associate professor of research in health evaluation sciences, conducts epidemiological research, provides consultation and methodological expertise to researchers around the world, and serves as an international resource for information on advances in preventing the occupational transmission of bloodborne infections. In 1992, with the support and collaboration of Becton Dickinson, Jagger translated her research findings into a surveillance system called Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet). The system is used by more than 1,200 hospitals in the United States and abroad to collect data on the causes and prevention of needlesticks and adverse blood exposures to health care workers. In 1995, U.Va. and Becton Dickinson entered into an agreement with the Association of Operating Room Nurses to establish a national surveillance network of surgical departments to document the injury risk unique to surgical instruments and operating room procedures. "One of the most significant and encouraging advances in health care worker protection has been the response from industry to the need for protective technology in order to reduce the risk of needlestick and sharp instrument injuries," Jagger said. "The Becton Dickinson professorship provides status to our center, and it acknowledges a very special relationship between Becton Dickinson and the University of Virginia that has accelerated progress in creating a safer workplace." ### May 10, 1996 For more information on the center, contact Janine Jagger, (804) 924-5159.